Turnpike Troubadours frontman Evan Felker is one of the most respected songwriters in Texas Country/Red Dirt and beyond, including just having his song “The Bird Hunters” named Saving Country Music’s Song of the Year for 2015. But after numerous drunken performances, some fans are in an uproar, while others are reaching out with sympathy and concern for the songwriter.

The first questionable performance came on New Years Day in Tulsa at the Cain’s Ballroom annual Hangover Ball, where Evan took the stage acoustic style with Cody Canada, Jason Boland, William Clark Green, Mike McClure, Jason Eady, Adam Hood, BJ Barham of American Aquarium, and Brian Keane.

@BJBarhamTweets I think it’s time for you to talk to Evan Felker about sobriety? Holy. Mess.

The drunken Hangover Ball performance appeared to be an isolated incident for the Oklahoma native. However, at this week’s Music Fest festivities in Steamboat Springs, CO, patrons were once again disappointed when Evan Felker took the stage drunk for a Turnpike Troubadours performance Tuesday (1-5) night.

I’m over the @TpTroubadours Used to be my favorite. Tired of hearing #evanfelker drunkenly forget his own lyrics. Disappointment.

Meanwhile other fans and artists are reaching out to support the songwriter who clearly appears to be going through a difficult time, including the drummer for Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Brad Rice.

Evan Felker and all of @TpTroubadours don’t need your criticism and scrutiny, they need your love and support. Life on the road is grueling.

It’s understandable when fans spend their hard-earned money and make plans to see their favorite artists, and are less than happy when the artists doesn’t perform their best. However, living their lives on stages and in the spotlight, musicians many times have to go through their personal turmoil in the public eye, which amplifies or even exacerbates personal issues, sometimes resulting in a spiral out of control that can be just as much the public’s fault as the performer’s.

Heretofore, Evan Felker has not been known as a performer of poor personal character. But like most of the talented artists who’ve ever lived, and many who make the most touching artistic expressions, personal demons loom under the surface, waiting to take grasp. It’s their torment that lends to their brilliance. The temptations of the road, and the music life also can make it harder on musicians. Many fans want to live vicariously through their musical heroes and can fuel bad behavior by enabling it, while others loom in the wings, waiting to tear artists down when they begin to fall.

Evan Felker may have had a bad stretch, but haven’t we all. It’s how we handle our mistakes that makes the measure of a man.

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Editor’s Note:Apologies for doing the whole “embed a bunch of tweets” lazy style of journalism. But since I was not at these events, and the tweets help accurately portray public sentiment, it was deemed a worthy way to report on this story.

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UPDATE: Here’s a video from the beginning of the Turnpike Troubadous performance at Steamboat Springs. Though the quality is low, it does appear to show Evan slurring, dropping verses, and generally not trying.

I’ve seen the Turnpike Troubadours numerous times, and have never seen any type of drunken anything coming from the band. This appears to be an isolated stretch, and it’s probably none of our business why it’s happening. I’ve talked to Evan briefly before, and he seemed to have his head squarely on his shoulders. He’ll figure it out, and probably be a better songwriter for it.

I heard the same excuses after I saw Sturgill Simpson when he was sick. The fact is we listen to these artists because they write and sing about life, but when are these guys supposed to live? The two weeks a year they have off? As fans of this music we shouldn’t be surprised if someone gets sick or drunk. Instead, just soak it in and be glad they make the sacrifices to be on the road and share their stories with the rest of us.

I’ve seen TPT twice in the last year and have thought he’s been taking the drugs and alcohol too far for awhile. But at the same time, I do appreciate those performances. With all the attention he is getting I can’t imagine how bad it has gotten recently. You can see the disgust on Evan’s face and in his eyes when the crowd starts to sing along to one of their more popular songs. He’s obviously facing some inner demons and I wish nothing but the best for him and the band even if it means a break from touring.

Interesting, because when I saw them open for Lucero in Memphis 6 months ago, it looked like he loved it when the crowd sang ‘warn our favorite pair of jeans!’, he was smiling ear to ear and sharing a laugh.

It’s not like Evan hasn’t played hundreds of incredible shows. He screws up a small number of them when something personal is obviously occurring and people get bent out of shape. With that being said, I hope things get better for him.

As much as you’d like it to be the perfect show this is the life of touring musicians. When do you unload? And while I’m on it do you expect a band to sound perfect live? Imperfections a are apart of a live show. So the next time you go watch a band for $20, or so don’t be the the asshole at a bar, or music joint serving alcohol judging. And if you don’t drink well enough said you’re probably at a bar. Take your holy righteous ass home you probably shouldn’t be at a bar anyway.

Dude this is MusicFest not a $20 show at some bar. People spend $100’s if not $1000’s for travel expenses, room and board and drive 100’s of miles just to see a singer stumble through the songs and forget the words. Totally unprofessional to their fans and other band members. I went to MusicFest in 2014 and drove from Minnesota to Steamboat and it was over 1000 miles. I would be pissed if I saw a shit show that people in the band couldn’t wait to get trashed until their set was done. I think people have every right to be mad as hell…I know I would be.
Check it outhttps://www.facebook.com/959theranch/videos/10153181281995047/?theater

All the shows I saw were great and I had a great time. None of the bands were messed up to the point they were forgetting their songs or mumbling through. I support the bands and I spent around $600 on merch and that is just MusicFest I travel all over to see shows all year long. The last time I saw Turnpike In Des Moines, IA I notice he was forgetting his lyrics also. What judgement are you talking about? The fact it is unprofessional to wait until your 75 min set is done to start drinking? Give me a break in the end it’s their job. I have seen other artists get hammered like the time I drove to KC to see Shooter, The Departed and Uncle Lucius. The Departed and Uncle Lucius were great but, Shooter sucked as he screwed up 3 songs and the The Departed had to take over. I have no compassion for drunk as hell artists on stage after spending a boat load of money to see them. What they want to do on their own time is their business but, I will tell you this if I showed up drunk as hell to work I wouldn’t have a job. Just because people give you shots or beers doesn’t mean you NEED to drink them. If you have an issue with booze maybe it’s just the wrong industry for you to begin with.

Some people think you only post TMZ “Gotcha!” articles about any halfway stupid thing some pop country dude does just to make them look bad while making artists that you like look like saints. This should show people that you are, in fact, fair.

This article take a pretty different tone from the “Drunk Toby Keith” articles you wrote. Here you write two paragraphs on why we shouldn’t be quick to judge Felker (which is fair); whereas before you said attendees “deserve an apology, if not a refund.” And you even went out of your way to make your own youtube video with the audio and an unflattering picture of Toby that was unrelated to his shows.

I don’t disagree with much you wrote in this piece, and I guess it’s good you didn’t ignore this altogether, but it’s annoying that you give Evan a pass but not Toby Keith a pass.

Nobody is giving Evan a pass. If I was giving Evan a pass, I would have not written this article. That would have been a perfectly easy thing to do. Do you think posting this is going to win me friends in the Texas country scene or the Troubadours camp? Frankly, it sucks that journalism is so dead that it falls every time to me to post the crappy stories that make me the ire of every publicist, and then I become the popular whipping boy because I’m the only one who will break ranks and actually report the news. This was a legitimate story of public interest and deserved to be reported on. Posting about Toby Keith’s drunken performance previously is the exact reason I felt obligated to post about this one.

If there was audio or video of Evan performing drunk on stage (which I searched for and couldn’t find, and still might surface), I would have posted it. But at this point, I have been unable to obtain any.

There is one major difference between Toby Keith’s drunken performance, and both of Evan Felker’s. When I came in on the Toby Keith story, fans were furious because they were asking for refunds and never received them. It was a solo concert by Toby Keith. In BOTH instances of Evan’s performances, they were part of a much bigger event (Music Fest, and Hangover Ball), where he was just one small part of the performance. So there really isn’t a big clamor for refunds. This really is where the difference in tone was struck between the two stories.

Also, Toby Keith and his publicist categorically refused to even acknowledge the issue, let alone apologize or offer refunds. We’re still early in this story with Evan to see what happens. Read the last sentence of this article.

I see what your saying and understand it. Pass may have the wrong word, but I just thought the Keith story had a harsher tone, that’s all really. Maybe it didn’t though. I do appreciate you posting the story regardless (especially if it is being ignored). Hopefully this is an isolated event or that he gets help if not. Turnpike Troubadours might be my favorite band out there.

It probably did have a slightly harsher tone. You probably have a fair point there. Part of that had to do with the circumstances, and part of it has to do with the history of Toby Keith, and the history of Evan Felker. But make no mistake about it, right now I’m Mr. Asshole to a lot of folks because I didn’t do what you’re supposed to do in music journalism, which is look away, and brush things like this under the rug. These days if you post anything negative, you’re immediately compared to TMZ and Perez Hilton. At the same time, I don’t want to be part of the problem by dog piling on this dude. That’s why I felt like a little perspective was needed in this case.

Also, I just posted a video above, though it’s not the greatest quality to really get a grasp of the performance.

This is another example of the media reporting on things when they have no credible reason in doing so. Two shows at festivals in which everyone is drinking, is no reason to slander a persons name or to create a negative image as if it is something normal. I have been to tp shows from when they were nothing to current day. I recall being the only person at their show when they opened for Mike McClure some time back. I have never seen anything short of an amazing passion for the songs that are sung. 2016 has seen the negative effects of reporting on things without the facts. If you can’t even find a video of Evan at musicfest that proves your point then it is not necessary to try and make a point. Only report on things with hard facts and a substantial history or you will be a joke! If it is not necessary it is necessary not to! I’m not saying he wasn’t drunk I’m saying it is probably two isolated events in which an article like this will do more harm then good and create unnecessary drama and stress. It’s like an idiot spreading a rumor that your gay in high school because you kissed your dad goodbye.

I appreciate your concern. First off, there was video of one of the incidents and it was pretty clear and present what was going on. Unfortunately it appears it has been taken down now (the Facebook link is dead now), but I think if you saw it, there would be need for concern. I didn’t write this article to slander Evan Felker. I think you would be blown away by the folks who reached out to me imploring to post this. Felker won Saving Country Music’s Song of the Year mere days before this was posted, and it was posted nearly a year ago now. It’s all water under the bridge, but I stand behind this reporting. If I had any agenda here, it was the well-being of Evan Felker.

I sincerely hope Felker can find some professional help before he takes it too far.

That being said, I think it’s sad how Americans/Canadians consistently go out of their way to excuse/ignore alcoholism, which in reality only makes it an even larger societal issue. When Isbell got his shit together, I read more posts from people criticizing his (intelligent & brave) decision than congratulating. Dismissing Felker’s unprofessional behaviour doesn’t help him at all. His true friends shouldn’t be going on about how hard life on the road is (blatantly ignoring that there are a million musicians out there who are mentally healthy), they should be supporting him by helping him deal with his illness.

The irony is that Europeans on average drink much more than Americans but, at least in the case of Western Europeans, they do not vacillate between the extremes of sobriety and alcoholism as often.

This type of bipolar attitude toward alcohol is especially prevalent in the South, which is simultaneously influenced by a longstanding whiskey culture brought from Britain along with a strongly anti-alcohol Christian conservatism.

For the record, I was there and he was drunk. It happens to the best and the worst of them. I don’t know Evan from Jack Daniels so if it’s isolated so be it. I was on the road with Boland when these incidents happened frequently because he did have a problem. But he faced it and 10 years later is still sober. What I do know is if Evan does have a problem he doesn’t want to face it, that’s his choice. If he does want to take control, and not saying he has to, he will have plenty of support. He wouldn’t have to look any further than the stage at Cains for help, that’s one thing I know for sure.

I’ve seen the band 3 times now, all at big festivals. Where the band has a weekend to hang out with their buddies in other bands and have a good time. Twice he seemed fine. Once — 2 years ago — he was trashed and basically screamed all the lyrics.

I’m not judging — I bet I would be a mess if I was around beer and had a whole day to kill. I like beer a lot. But if he has issues, hope he gets a handle on it.

Seen them 4-5 times and only one time did Evan get drunk enough to forget the words, and they were the last 2 songs of the encore. Jonny Burke had to step in and take his verse. It was still a fantastic show and everyone had a great time. Not sure if he has a real problem or not but I hope he is able to help himself if he does.

Trigger,
The Ranch 105.9 streamed it live last night and he was obviously hammerd. Couldn’t sing and for got words on the first song. It’s on their Facebook page under videos. He’s way better than what he showed last night. Prayers.

I have seen them several times and he was fine but I saw them last fall and he forgot lyrics and even fell on stage because he was so drunk. It is fun for the audience to feel like they’re having a beer with the band they came to see, and like you said, we almost encourage that lifestyle, so no one is asking him not to drink before or on stage. However, I do think the public just expects the artists to uphold some degree of professionalism when we pay money to see them play and support their careers. Crossing that line, more than once now, comes off disrespectful and unappreciative, so they are understandably upset. Of course, alcoholism is a personal issue, but he chooses to make his living on stage, and like with any other job, when alcohol starts affecting your performance, reputation, career, and in his case, potentially harming the rest of the band’s future, it is time to take a look at your behavior and correct it. Like most people have said, hopefully this doesn’t continue to go downhill and he finds a solution, whatever it may be, but you don’t keep going to a restaurant that repeatedly has bad service, no matter how good their food is, so you can’t blame fans for not going to shows if this continues.

So does numerous now translate to two? The tweets here reference two performances within a few days of each other. Moreover, the American Aquarium tweet they cite was from last year. Not even related to these incidents. Evans a good friend. I hope he gets through this, but this here is just downright irresponsible journalism. Calling two incidents “numerous” and relying on tweets posted by (likely equally as wasted) fans is downright shameful. Do research, write decent prose, and then maybe we can take this article seriously, instead of trying to be the first to write a so called “hot-topic.”

First off, the American Aquarium tweet is attached to a tweet posted on January 2nd, 2016 after the Hangover Ball show. If you look right under the American Aquarium tweet, you will see it. I posted the embed code, and that’s how it came out. My guess is someone searched “Evan Felker drunk” or something similar to that and responded. But it was a relevant tweet to these recent incidents.

And yes, these are two incidents I am reporting on, but all of a sudden I have people coming out of the woodwork telling me this has been happening for a while now. Just go read the comments on this very article from Jen and Penny, and others who say they saw him drunk and missing words on stage recently. It is a problem. I understand you’re his friend, and you want to defend him, but this isn’t an attack on Felker. I just put my name behind Evan Felker a week ago for writing the “Song of the Year” in 2015, so clearly I have no agenda. Whether I said anything or not, folks were already criticizing him about his performances and it was out in the public. I attempted to offer some balanced reporting and put the criticisms into context. Frankly, my stomach is in knots over this thing, but I stand behind my reporting.

Being honest about a situation and reporting facts is not a bad thing. I think this article was well written. I love Evan and Turnpike very much musically and personally, but the conversation has to start somewhere about him getting help. If this article and the comments showing support for him is the catalyst for that help then so be it if a few people get pissed about it.

Personal hardship is the seed with which great artistry is planted. Very rarely can you create greatness without something of an experience to inspire it. Here’s to hoping Evan Felker can get through whichever behind-the-scenes issues are party to this.

Wait, are people saying that Evan Felker was perhaps lit up like the star atop their favorite Christmas tree? Do you think he had good intentions before he had too many? Well, he was stupid, I suppose.

How dare the man actually know the life that he writes and sings about in his songs.

The best live shows are inherently raw and real, and there are some nights when real means messy. It doesn’t have to be some ominous thing. Obviously I hope all is well in the Felker camp, but I hate this tendency to diagnose a complete stranger with some sort of problem or mental illness. It’s so gross, no matter how well meaning these fans think they are.

Anyway, don’t Texas Country fans pay attention to astrology? Mercury turned retrograde yesterday, thereby skewing all communication this week. No wonder he had trouble with the lyrics. Just blame it on Mercury, Evan. It’s all good.

I’ll be seeing these guys next month and give no fucks if he’s drunk or not. Shit, I’ll be drunk. Don’t even care if he falls off the damned stage-ticket’s only 18 bucks, plus I’d probably get a killer fiddle solo while he gets back up. Can’t lose!

Did they cancel your show. 24 hrs prior, like this one I’ve had 3rd row center tickets for 5 months? Keep your refund of tix, how bout the anticipation, travel, kid and dog sitters we lined up?!? These guys are sooo fortunate to have the talent and fan base they do. It’s a privilege, not a right! My favorite band so all the bigger the disappointment,

Having spent 8 years in Austin, Texas, watching my musician husband nearly drink himself to death, I get why this happens. It’s the climate, the norm, the standard for performing that breeds alcoholism and drug abuse. But it does not have to be that way. The people–band mates, friends, employees–that you surround yourself with can have a great deal of influence over how you conduct yourself. It is everyone’s responsibility to hold their friends and family accountable for their actions, but it is the fans’ responsibility too. Don’t encourage drunkenness, don’t buy numerous shots for the band, and don’t act like it’s no big deal to be repeatedly drunk.
My husband has been in recovery for drug and alcohol abuse for over 11 years, and is now a pastor/worship leader. He does not preach judgement on those who have issues with alcohol and drugs, he preaches compassion and understanding.
Evan needs both of those, but he also needs to be held accountable for his actions. It is unprofessional to be so intoxicated that you cannot do your job, particularly when you get paid to perform.
The fans deserve what they pay money for, and Evan needs to know that they are expecting to get what he has promised–that he will entertain them.
I pray, yes-pray, that he gets the kind of help that he needs, before it is too late.

Your comments echo the thoughts penned by Scott Weiland’s ex wife after his death. Throughout his life Stone Temple Pilots fans glorified the drinking, drugs and demons that tormented the man. He left behind dear children who never knew their father.

Trigger shouldn’t feel guilty about calling attention to Evan’s behavior. It’s inexcusable. Hopefully it will stop before he hurts himself or someone else.

Ok, just watched that video. Clearly not great, but was expecting WAY worse than that. Hell, it’s not like that song’s the easiest damn thing to sing in the first place. The rhythm of his singing in that one make it kind of a pain in the ass to sing along to. And drunk Jim Bob probably wouldn’t notice the messed up lines anyway.

I get a performance like that next month and there’ll be zero angry tweets from me

I don’t know that the video is of good enough quality to make a judgement on the entire show, especially since it was of the very first song. Like the tweets, it’s just another piece of evidence to corroborate that there was at least an issue. Barring professional quality video from numerous angles, this is really one of those “you had to be there” things to be able to completely judge for yourself. What I can tell you is numerous folks attending Music Fest reached out to me personally about it. Like one of the tweets says, it’s what everyone was talking about today at the fest.

A guy in a country band being drunk at a few shows….. Maybe we should have an intervention for almost every musician that this site follows because I’ve seen a good deal of them drunk or high on stage. We have all overdone it a time or two. This seems very gossipy to me.

I understand your concern. But this is not some people saying “Ooh! That singer was intoxicated on stage. Perhaps he was smoking marijuana cigarettes!” You’re totally right that most performers are to some degree of intoxication on stage. That’s perfectly normal. However the last two performances were so bad, there are many people concerned for the well being of Evan. I didn’t just roll up and pull a bunch of tweets to put together a premise that this was a problem. I just used them as an illustration. This has been brewing for a while now. And believe it or not, numerous journalists and country media outlets reached out to me specifically today, hoping I would run a story on this. I hate running these stories, despite all the folks that think I love them for the traffic or whatever. But I’d rather run a story like this now than an obituary in two weeks. I had to do that too many times in 2015. I ran this story knowing it would bring criticism to the site. But that’s kind of my job in the media, is to not care about public sentiment, and just post what I believe needs to be said.

I can’t think of a more important topic to broach than the concern for another human who may be going through a touch time, especially if it could result in the breakup of a band, or the personal safety of an individual. Somewhere, people got it in their head that this is all about people being uptight about a country singer being drunk on stage, when this is such a gross oversimplification of the issue it’s downright insulting to insinuate it. Frankly, I’m horrified at how many people are so flippantly blowing this off, and feel like somehow covering this story is impugning my reputation.

Sometimes I think you shouldn’t be allowed to comment unless you have read ALL the other preceding comments. Yeah, right…welcome to the internet.

The recent Hangover Ball and MusicFest shows are NOT isolated incidents of partying too hard–they are evidence of an escalation that indicates there might possibly be an issue, something that other artists of similar age, talent and stature have DIED from.

Anyway, it’s true that none of us, and actually nobody else other than Evan, can decide if he has a problem and what, if anything, can and should be done about it. Who knows what it takes for someone who needs help to finally admit it and get some? I don’t pretend to know, but I would like to think that the knowledge that a number of fans were concerned to the point of contacting whomever they could think of to voice those concerns–it might help.

I was not at either of the above mentioned shows, but I have been at dozens of other Turnpike shows and stood less than two feet away watching the band take swigs from a handle of Jack Daniels throughout their set and never thought a thing of it. What’s been going on the past six months or so is NOT the same and to think otherwise is delusional.

Evan has tremendous talent. So does Jason Isbell–what if he had not decided to get sober a few years ago? I have no way of know if that’s what Evan needs to do, and it doesn’t matter what I think anyway, but he probably needs to know that people CARE and if this post, and these comments, helps him realize that, then it was definitely worth sharing.

Saw them back in December, sounded fine to me, but seemed rushed. This was a larger venue than the much smaller dive bar that I had seen them in a year and a half before. I got the impression that maybe the added attention was forcing them to change the way they perform. Evan will get it together soon enough. If anything this will make for a really good new record.

Many of the best singers/writers/artists were eclectic. To me it sort of means they dabble in the alcohol and other drugs to get them into different states. What makes them great and can be their downfall. Who would ever look at a moon and think of it as being sad? Hank Williams did. How many drug references does sturgill Simpson have in songs? A whole lot of them. Jamey Johnson. Keith Whitley. I can understand it. I just have never been there.
I would think some of these guys wrote lyrics on a three or four day bender with no sleep.
I’ve listened to some of tt stuff not a lot of it. If he has a problem I hope he gets help.

No doubt there are bigger Turnpike Troubadours/Evan Felker fans than me, but I want to preface these comments by saying that I pretty much live and breathe Texas/Red Dirt Country music. They are my favorite band by far and the one I have seen the most frequently at least each of the last three years–7-8x/year. To have heard and read about these recent shows broke my heart, but unfortunately did not surprise me. I first noticed an issue a couple of years ago. At that time, it was only an occasional problem, but it has gotten progressively worse, most notably at a local show last August; I was afraid something like this was coming.

That talented singer songwriters can have problems with substance abuse should come as a surprise to exactly zero people reading this website. That they can, and SHOULD, overcome them, should also not be a surprise. If last night’s show was an isolated incident I would have been one of the first people to call Trigger out on it, but I knew it wasn’t and anyone doubting it should read back over Turnpike’s own FB page for comments made by concerned fans, of which I am one. Hopefully, Evan’s friendship with BJ Barham and Jason Boland and his knowledge of Jason Isbell’s success since getting sober will inspire him to get the help he clearly needs.

I checked their tour schedule and it is clear until February 5th, giving him/them some time to work on this and I wish him all the luck in the world–he is tremendously talented and to lose that talent would be so very sad.

Do more than half of this band’s beloved songs NOT contain at least one reference to some sort of alcohol consumption? Did this band not begin its career playing a long run of bar shows as a bar band (and, of course, continue to play venues and festivals where alcohol is readily available)? Does this band not play within a genre in which getting inebriated is glorified? Even more so, does this band not play 90-minute gigs of pure passion and energy to entire crowds of people who are PURELY INTOXICATED?! Get a grip, folks. This is a part of the band’s culture…consider yourselves very lucky that these types of occurrences are so rare for ol’ Felker and TPT (okay…two in one week…rough patch). They’re excellent at what they do. What they do just happens to be fueled by booze. Welcome to country music. Someone mentioned it before– these negative experiences only manage to enhance the level of artistry. That and…well…they play country music. They live country music. You all love Evan’s songs, right? You’ve all lived Evan’s songs at some point, right? Is the man who writes them not allowed to live them once in a while?

Maybe Ev has a problem. Maybe he doesn’t. That’s none of your concern. Almost every great musician/band has had a fair share of bad gigs, some of both legendary and laughable status. The only reason these few instances are such a “concern” is because of social media. Plain and simple. People love to blow things out of proportion these days. Oh, so you happened to be a disgruntled attendee of the Steamboat Fest in which Felker was drunk (as if you weren’t) and therefore your “hard-earned money” was wasted? I’m sure you can check TPT out again at some point in the near future. They tour nonstop, will probably be in your area multiple times this 2016, and their crazy expensive tix run as high as 20 bucks. “But maybe Evan will be drunk again!” I’m sure you will be too. But guess what? They’ll come around and play again and again and again because THAT’S WHAT THEY DO. Long live Evan Felker and long live the Turnpike Troubadours.

Audra caines post above is exactly correct it’s the coattail riding wannabes, users and sycophants around these dudes who promote this crap they keep the star drunk, high and chasing hos so they can take his money drugs and booze meanwhile you end up with another self entitled Elvis real glamorous if you ask me

I am not sympathetic to artists that show up drunk to performances and can not perform.

Why is it that people in the entertainment business seem to be given more sympathy than normal people doing doing normal jobs?

Playing music and performing is their job and that is what they charge money for. It is no different to what I do when I get up every morning and go to work to provide a service that I get a salary for.

Now we all have difficult times in life and tough things to contend with in our private lives. But if I showed up to work drunk then I would get fired!

Why is it that musicians/entertainers should get an easier ride and we should all be sympathetic and understanding of their problems?!!

This always annoys me!! Performing music is their job. Showing up drunk to your job is not acceptable. People who have paid for tickets to see the artist perform should get a refund.

I think you can be critical of Felker or any artists showing up drunk, while also sympathetic to whatever personal crap they are going through. It’s the same for an employee, is it acceptable? No, but from a human perspective you can have some sympathy for whatever he or she is going through.

I would also note that the mindset of many artists/entertainers is significantly different from you or I who punch a clock to 40-50 hours a week. My Wife’s father actually was in a rock/Country band in his 20’s and 30’s and he is quite fond of saying that the time between performances is what drives people to indulge in their demons. For better or worse many human beings are creatures of a routine/habit and being in a different city every day/night along with the fact that most artists have very little structure in their lives aside from the 2-3 hours they play can leave them going down the wrong road.

I’m not excusing Felker or Keith or any other artist who performs drunk. It’s bullcrap for their fans and for their careers, but I also can sympathize with the very real emotional demons that Felker and so many other artists and human beings battle day in-day out.

NO MORE “IT’S THEIR JOBS!!!!!”
The difference is that you don’t pour your heart and emotions into stories and poetry you hope people will like. Maybe you write them in a private journal, but you don’t put them on display for judgement. That is the difference in a songwriter and an entertainer. Any one can be a Luke Bryan or a Florida Georgia Line and stand around and dance to someone else’s words. What these guys do 150-200+ days a year takes a toll I’m sure. Punch your clock from 8 to 5, 40 hours a week and go back to your house, to your friends and your family. 8 to 5 is a joke to these guys who tour sometimes 4-6 weeks straight, away from all the comforts of home. It’s not a 60 or 90 minute show and they’re done. It’s traveling, setting up, sound checking, scheduled fan meets sometimes before and after each show. Time off?? When do you think they do all the interviews you read and radio station call ins? Sure, it’s the life they chose, but I’m sure a lot of you have called in “sick” because you just didn’t feel it that day, would it be ok if any of these guys cancelled a show whenever they felt like that, or would all of you be on here in an uproar over that?
I too have paid money for shows from a lot of these guys and there is a reason I paid it, because I’ve listened to the music and the heart that when into writing it. I understand being disappointed if you were one who paid for one of the mentioned shows that maybe wasn’t their best showing, hopefully the next time whichever band it is comes through your town you have your socks knocked off of you.
I’m not excusing any type of behavior caused by alcohol or anything else for that matter, but there sure are a lot of armchair quarterbacks out there passing judgment without all the facts. Watching a video, reading some tweets or posts doesn’t mean you have even half of the whole picture. More importantly let’s hope issues are worked out and there don’t have to be any more stories about this with him or any of our other favorites.

You guys complaining about him being drunk should check Shane MacGowan. And people saying you shouldn t show up drunk at your work are probably not in a “you can drink for free” environment. If everybody had an open bar at their job, i m pretty sure it d be way worse than this video.
I also agree with people saying hey we pay good money to see him and he was drunk. Then again, listen to the record and save your money.

Shane MacGowan has made a career out of playing hammered. I don’t know any Pogues fans (myself included) who would be aghast that MacGowan was hammered at a concert. Its expected of him and accepted. He is who he is. 20 years ago, I would have said that he’d die young, but now he’s almost 60 years old…

My perspective is that as long as the experience is good for the audience, who cares???

An artist has an obligation to his fans to perform to the best of his ability, and also to make the experience enjoyable for the audience. the problem is not that he was drunk, it was that he was soooo drunk that it was affecting his performance.

While I am very saddened to see my favorite band’s frontman, and my favorite songwriter, seemingly troubled by this, if the Hangover Ball performance wasn’t as bad as it was (the video posted by the Ranch has NOTHING on the videos I saw from that, it was much worse, and yes, I’d be disappointed if I had gone as well), people would just be referring to this as “Evan Felker Steamboat Wasted” as they did last year. People were already going into MusicFest ready to discount him for a MF performance probably before he even performed. I’ve seen sober shows by him and I’ve seen drunk shows by him, I’m not giving him a pass either, but the only reason his MusicFest performance is being blown up so big and bad is the fact that his previous performance at the Hangover Ball was so disappointing. I want nothing but the best for him and the whole band. I have faith they will get through this. He’s not the first artist to do this, and he certainly, unfortunately won’t be the last.

Another reason is probably because it’s Music Fest. You have a ton of core fans all sequestered with each other on a snowy mountain. Rumor and opinion are going to spread like wildfire, and things are going to get amplified.

Exactly. As always, wonderful job with the article that had to be written. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to do as it wasn’t easy to hear the news initially then have to read, but we appreciate it. Unfortunately, it had to be done.

Never been a huge fan, only because I have so many other artists that I’m supporting right now. Trigger, you probably remember a lot of the same things coming from Jamey Johnson fans right after Hank Cochran passed. In that situation it was months of drunken shows not caring about anything except what he wanted to play. He lost a lot of support. I am happy to announce that in the past year I have seen Jamey numerous times and heard of countless others where he is 1000% sober, playing 2+hrs every night without a break, and then spending 2-3 more hours in the parking lot with his fans. I don’t know Evan’s situation but here’s hoping it turns out a lot like JJ’s

Writing that Felker’s spiral out of control can be as much the public’s fault as the performers is a bunch of crap. Hold the guy accountable for performing poorly when drunk out of his mind.

If the grind of the road is too grueling, take time off.

I hope Felker gets the help he needs, as I am a big fan of he & his band. I buy every album & have seen them 5 times. But I work in the public arena, and he should be held accountable for his actions, just as any man should be.

The line between fun and creative drunk and destructive drunk can be a fine one. I’ve been on both sides of it, myself, even though I’m not a musician or anything like that. When you make drinking a part of your life, you’re going to experience both sides of that coin from time to time. There are a few who are hardcore alcoholics and really do have to stop entirely to save their lives. Hopefully, Evan isn’t one of those.

There just aren’t any hard and fast rules with this stuff. Look at Lemmy. Bottle of whiskey every day; played like a maniac and was celebrated for it until the end. There’s a lot of grey area and I do think that the style of music you play, and the culture surrounding that style, influences how fans are going to react to it.

He has a job and that brings income. It happens to be a job of entertainment, he has a skill and talent. But he also has a responsibility to his crew, his band, his fans, to perform that job well.
Some “trusted” person or persons in his inner circle allow this behavior.

Sure, his “job” is certainly to entertain folks. However, his “job” is also a gamble– for both himself as well as those who follow him, whether as listeners, viewers, show-goers, etc. In other words, you’re not ALWAYS going to like or appreciate an entertainer’s (in this case, Felker’s) work. God forbid he writes a song you’re not really into (“He’s not doing his job!”). To hell with him if a Turnpike album doesn’t live up to your expectations (“They’re not doing their jobs!”). And, of course, if Felker gets “Wrecked” (see what I did there?)…”He ain’t doing his job!” His job? JOB?! Please…we all know why guys like Felker chose this “job”– so that he doesn’t have a DAMN JOB! Sure, it’s awesome that he gets to share his excellent work to the world. It’s insanely cool that so many people find joy and entertainment through his work. I’m sure his passion for music is so deep that he couldn’t imagine doing anything else for a living. However, guys and gals like Felker also chose this “job” so that they could ultimately see the world from the perspective of someone who doesn’t have to clock in or clock out, all while partying their assess off on a daily basis. Deal with it. Evan doesn’t owe you people a damn thing. You gambled on a show or two and didn’t like what you saw. Damn shame. Either suck it up or stop listening to music that is an obvious influence and outcome of such a lifestyle. This ain’t Broadway or the Macy’s Day Parade…it’s a gig…a gig by a group of heavy-drinking country-rock barn burners, for crying out loud. When you go to a gig, you’re not always guaranteed the time of your life that all these people seem to be expecting from Evan and TPT. It’s their lifestyle. Yes, they’ll be drunk as hell from time to time, sometimes to the point where they can’t strum a guitar or play a harmonica. You know why? Because at the end of each day, they don’t have a real job. They’re not anyone’s responsibility. They don’t owe you people anything; not one red cent. Trust me, they’re happy as hell that people like yourself are fond of them, but they don’t have to answer to anybody. You people took a gamble on Evan and happened to lose. I guarantee you that 9 times out of 10, he will blow you away.

Also, I love the idea of the band’s income coming into play in all these folks’ comments. Give me a break. Those guys might be able to scrape a living these days, sure, but they didn’t enter this line of work (I’m sorry, their “job”) for the income. They’re playing music on their terms, having a whole lot of fun, and answering to no one. That’s all that matters. Band had a bad gig? Tough luck. Go to the movies next time.

I have seen William Elliott Whitmore a bunch of times and there are folks buying him shots and beers before he gets on stage to the point that I have felt bad for him – he tries to turn them down sometimes but then it gets to the point where the ones he doesn’t kick in… And I don’t see it as a big deal whatsoever. Most shows are fantastic and the rest are good stories. These guys should live it up as-far-as I am concerned. I don’t expect them too cut back at the same age most of us do/did. Because fuck it!

Two things:
First, the Turnpike Troubadours are my favorite band. They don’t get up to Wisconsin very often, so I have only seen them once: Minneapolis in June of 2014. While the show was awesome (and loud) I was a bit taken aback by the amount of alcohol consumed on stage. They were taking turns swigging from a bottle throughout the entire evening. I am an old man, and evidently a bit on the boring side, but I was disturbed by that, and wondered to myself if perhaps that was going to turn into a bigger problem. Because I’ve only seen one show, I don’t know…do they always swig from a bottle of booze all night every night?

Second, and this is the old man bore coming out in me, nothing wrecks a concert for me more than being surrounded by a bunch of drunkenly obnoxious fans who are loud and rude for some reason think that everyone came to see and hear them rather than the performer on the stage. Happily, that wasn’t a problem in Minneapolis that night. However, it’s the reason I had to stop going to John Prine concerts. People won’t shut up. At a Hayes Carll concert a few months ago there was only one obnoxiously drunk person in the whole crowd. Unfortunately, …you guessed it…she was right in front of me. I know she paid for her money like I did and she was just having a good time and I need to loosen up and I’m just a crotchety old man and blah, blah, blah. The concert was still great…she finally passed out just after the intermission!

My whole point, poorly made, is that I wish people would learn to use alcohol responsibly, and not place so much importance on getting hammered. It’s a huge problem in our country. I’m not against drinking. I drink. I’m a gigging musician, and I often have a couple beers over the course of a night. I WANT the audience to drink. It’s true that they loosen up and have a better time after a few beers. Most of us do. Some folks just don’t know where to draw the line.

Completely missed the point. There is a huge difference between a performer drinking, and being drunk on stage, and being in such a horrible state of affairs that long-time fans en masse are very concerned about his well-being.

Trig, the guy practically played in his backyard (Hangover Ball) with all his buddies and overdid it. Some days later, his band played a festival (in which they weren’t actually the headliner of the stage/night) that he had already been famous for getting blitzed at, and he happened to unfortunately tank the show. I’m not trying to make light of the situation…I’ve made a few recent posts about the band’s culture and line of work (at least my opinion of it)…but could it be that these are isolated incidents that just so happen to be days apart? I know you’re up for the discussion. Talk to me, brother.

When Evan played the Hangover Ball, an attendee emailed me and told me what had happened. And immediately, the way it was portrayed to me was that Evan just wasn’t drunk, but so out of his wits that he basically couldn’t even sit on a stool without falling off of it. Then I went to Twitter and saw the tweets about it, which believe it or not, can be a good barometer. But at that time, I decided that it wasn’t a story. I didn’t sweep it under the rug, mind you. I just decided it must have been one out-of-character incident, and that’s all it was. I have personally seen the Turnpike Troubadours four times live, and never seen any obvious stage drunkenness or issues.

Then the situation happened at Steamboat, and basically, I had no choice but to post something about it. Basically if I hadn’t, I would have been a hypocrite. And again, this isn’t just about Evan being drunk on stage, and the people saying that and acting like some are making a mountain out of a molehill are frankly being callous, and are uninformed. There’s “drunk,” and then there’s being so drunk that the majority of the crowd is worried about your personal safety. I received emails from two separate members of the media (not going to name name’s), basically telling me that I had to post something about it, because it was a situation that needed to be addressed publicly. Also remember that five days before, I had posted a glowing commendation of Evan Felker the songwriter while naming “The Bird Hunters” Song of the Year.

Subsequently, folks have been coming out of the woodwork, in both private emails, and in public comments in this very comments section, saying that this is NOT an isolated incident, that this has been getting worse and worse over time (something I wasn’t aware of). And again, these aren’t just pissed off fans, these are people gravely worried about the well being of Evan. I think we don’t have any other choice but to take these people’s opinions and insight seriously.

I don’t know what’s going on with Evan Felker. He is a very private, introverted guy who probably lets very few people in, if any, even when he’s in a good frame of mind. Perhaps he’s feeling a lot of pressure. Turnpike is huge in some respects, and in others, they’re one of these bands that’s in the middle ground that can be difficult to deal with as an artist. It’s like you still have to deal with the realities of life and getting by financially, yet you also have to deal with the harsh face of stardom. I posted this article because I care. I wrote 25 obituaries in 2015, and three of them were for guys who went way too soon, partly because nobody would step in and help. If I think an artist is going through a tough time, I refuse to sit on my hands. Evan and Turnpike have given us all lots of joy in our lives. The least we can do is show a little compassion, concern, and understanding in return.

Oh trust me, writing this article and making the story public was 100% justifiable and necessary on your part. The general public, whether fans of the band or just fans of music, deserved to become aware of these recent happenings and share their opinion on the matter…negative, positive, supportive, what have you– this story certainly has created some interesting discourse, which is obviously why I’m here (thanks, Trigger).

You make great points here. I, too, have seen TPT a handful of times (five, I believe) and they, including Felker, were money every time. Like many of the supporters on social media and this site in particular, TPT is my #1, so I was also tripped up by the story. However, I tried my best to label it a coincidence and give my take with as many points as possible because, well, I love this band. Now that you say it, though……I was unaware of exactly HOW soused Ev was in these two instances (you’re right about Twitter); that got my stomach churning. I was also unaware that Ev had been slipping up at gigs here and there in recent months; that definitely got me thinking. The kicker for me was when I watched the “Shreveport” clip again– and man oh man, was he lost– I saw comments that basically said, “I was there and THAT was nothing…” Wow.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been concerned from the start. I guess I just got rubbed the wrong way by points that people had been making about Turnpike not doing their job, Felker owing refunds, yada yada. Still, I do honestly think that we’ll see a turnaround soon and plenty of good will come out of this. Hold off on that obit for now.

I have loved this band for years and was so excited to see them perform live for the first time. At Music Fest there are multiple bands playing at the same time at various locations. I missed other shows to see Turnpike play and I was so disappointed. The video that is shown in this article is the very first song of the set and it was his best performance of the night. It quickly went downhill from there. Do I expect a band to play perfect and stay sober for a concert? Absolutely not! But this was really hard to watch. I was afraid he was going to collapse or have a seizure at any moment. He mumbled through every song, forgetting lyrics and sometime entire verses. His band carried him through the entire concert (and sounded great). I really hope he finds his way and the help he needs so he can continue to write great music. I will continue to be a fan and buy their music but it might take a while for me to recover from that concert!

I adore TPT. They’re one of my favorites. However, this is my 3rd show of 4 where EF was obviously wasted. He would stare off into space for several bars and then snap out a few words, forget words, trail off, etc. He absolutely looked like he was about to pass out or convulse. The band seemed to be pretty annoyed by him several times during the show. From my first show until this year’s MF, he visibly thinner and more exhausted looking. Based on the comments around where we were standing, this isn’t that uncommon of an occurrence.

Aug. 2015 at the Granada he told the crowd he had spoken to his father and had been drinking since the afternoon because of it. He then slammed whiskey for the entire show and fell into the drums before the show ended. We all were wondering about his mental and physical state at that time. I’m very sorry to hear that things seem to have spiraled since then. I know he’s loved. I believe people will reach out and pull him through this rough patch. Everyone stumbles.

We also saw Turnpike Troubadours at the Granada back in August 2015. Twice during that show he got sick on stage. He turned his back to the crowd and threw a towel on his mess and kept on drinking and singing. My wife and I were disappointed that the show was tarnished by this. The two recent incidents are not isolated, it has been going on for quite a while. We all have stress in our lives and handle it differently. I hope he can get this under control. He is extremely talented.

We too saw the August show and heard/saw everything Sammy and Bob above said. We were in the balcony looking down on the stage and everyone there was wondering WTF was going on, was he alright, etc. My wife and I finally left maybe 2/3 of the way through the show because we just didn’t want to see anymore.

I desperately hope Evan gets any help and support he truly needs, but I’m also not going to sugarcoat what I saw or pretend it didn’t happen.

Just home from the Granada in Lawrence and can thankfully say it was a 100% about-face for Evan Felker. He and the band were on point and in great form! Hopefully he’s realized the trap he faced and has figured out how to avoid it.

I have seen Evan at his best and worst! I’m not judging because I know those demons and what they do to your life. I pray that he finds the peace he is looking for, because it will be a shame for him to set the whole band up in flames. Those guys depend on him to make a living. TPT is not TPT without Evan period. No one can replace an original front man. His actions are not fair to the people that depend on him. Drinking is part of the scene but he could wait to get shit faced until after the show. I met RC recently and even had a drink with him but he was still sober and able to play a great show. Evan was wasted and dropped his guitar on stage trying to strap it on, and slurring and forgetting words, not to mention Ryan didn’t play that show so it exacerbated everything Evan was doing because they were already out of synch. I’m going to see them March 10 and hope that it is the same great show that I saw I Whitewater and Gruene Hall!

Life is hard, for EVERYONE. Cry me a fuckin’ river.
I’ve loved this band, for years. And to see this caliber of talent with no regard… it’s shame of a waste!
I’ve watched bands kill themselves to get to this level, as well as seen bands kill themselves after reaching this level. But right now, I’m being selfish, furious! I planned 5 months ago, wasted my weekend, with my kids, for a show that was cancelled 24 hours prior to! Baby sitters, pet sitters, hotel… all paid for, for nothing. Not to mention the disappointment!! Fuck this band. They threw it all away!!

Wow, the author of a post apologizing for using embedded tweets? I’ve only been browsing this site for about a day and a half, but you’re very quickly winning me over. The funny thing is, I came here via a glowing recommendation from Bobby Bones during one of his recent podcasts.

Always been a great band. Society always looks for the negatives in anything good, try looking at the band itself and how skilled they are not the person. So what if he likes to drink, is that really any of your business? no it’s not. Mind your own damn business.